Al Ain Oasis, UNESCO World Heritage oasis in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Al Ain Oasis is a large agricultural area filled with date palm plantations organized across numerous individual farms. Water moves through the land via a network of open channels and underground passages that supply moisture to the planted groves and surrounding gardens.
The irrigation system that feeds the oasis was created over 3,000 years ago and continues to work in the same way today. Local people engineered a method to capture water from distant mountains and channel it across the flat land, making settlement and farming possible in this desert region.
Individual farming plots are separated by traditional stone walls that have defined the landscape for centuries. Walking through these spaces, you see how families have organized their work and lived here continuously, maintaining customs passed down through generations.
Visitors can explore the oasis on foot or by renting a bicycle for easier travel across the expansive area. Shaded pathways run between the plantations, and electric buggies are available if you prefer not to walk long distances.
Scientists and international organizations recognize this place as a living library of old crop varieties that might otherwise be lost. The date palms here include types that have grown in these lands for many generations and are seldom found anywhere else.
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